Display and storage cabinet for shirts, &amp;c.



J. F. PRATHER.

DISPLAY AND'STORAGE CABINET FOR SHIRTS, 6w.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 26, 1911.

1,010,950. I P11611111 Dec. 5,1911.

JESSE F. PRATHER, OF MOUNT AIRY, NORTH CAROLINA.

DISPLAY AND STORAGE CABINET FOR SHIRTS, 8w.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. May 26, 1911. Serial No. 629,657.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jnssn FRANKLIN PRATI-IER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Mount Airy, in the county of Surry and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Display and Storage Cabinets for Shirts, &c., of which the following is a full and clear specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a single unit of my improved cabinet, the shelves being drawn out to their display. position; and Fig. 2 a horizontal sectional view of the cabinet showing the shelves slid back into the cabinet casing.

The object of this invention is to provide a cabinet which shall serve not only for compact storage of the articles such a shirts, socks, etc. but which also will permit the articles to be readily displayed to a customer, the construction being simple and inexpensive and compact and being also adapted to permit a single cabinet to be employed or a series of cabinets side by side as occasion may require.

Referring to the drawing annexed by reference characters, adesignates a suitable casing rectangular in shape and having its front end open. In this casing is mounted a sliding frame consisting of a pair of upright bars I) which rigidly connect a pair of slidable plates 0 c. The uprights I) lie adjacent one of the vertical side walls of the casing, the top plate 0 is confined against the inner face of the top wall of the casing by means of a guide strip d, and the bottom slide or plate 0 rests upon the bottom of the casing and is confined thereto by a guide strip d. This sliding frame is limited in its outward movement by a slot 6 formed in each of the plates 0 c and a pin f working therein and attached rigidly to the adjacent wall of the casing. When this frame is drawn out as far as it will go, the outer edge of the top slide a is about coincident with the front edge of the casing, while the lower plate 0, (which is longer than the upper plate 0) extends to a distance beyond the front edge of the casing. The front upright b is located about even with the front edge of the upper slide a. I

Hinged to the vertical outer edge of the front upright b is a plate or board 9, which is adapted to pass into the cabinet and lie against or adjacent to one of the side walls thereof when the sliding frame is pushed back thereinto. Attached rigidly to the outer or front edge of this plate 9 is the front wall h of the display frame, which wall it when the display frame is pushed back into the cabinet closes the front open side thereof. This front wall is preferably provided with a glass window or windows to permit the articles in the cabinet to be observed even when the cabinet is closed. Fastened rigidly in the angle between the front wall it and the hinged side wall (7 is a series of horizontal shelves 2' which are of a width to enable them to readily pass into the cabinet. The lower-most shelf preferably rests upon the projecting end of the slide a when the shelves are drawn out to display position, and the shelves are additionally supported by means of vertical rods j attached one to the upper face of each shelf and bearing against the under side of the shelf next above. These rods also serve to prevent the goods being displaced from the shelves when the shelves are in the act of being withdrawn or returned to the cabinet, and they further assist in compactly and nicely. stacking the articles on the shelves. Each post or rod j is hinged at its lower end so that it may be folded down against the shelf to which it is connected, and in order that it may be out of the way when thus folded down the upper surface of the shelf is provided with a longitudinal groove 70 in which the rod or post lies when .thus folded down. These rods are each held in an upright position by a small friction spring Z fastened in a recess in the under side of the upper shelf.

The shelves are greater in length than the width of the wall 0 so that when they are withdrawn from the cabinet and swung around to display position, as shown in Fig. 1,' they will extend across the face of the cabinet. thus providing the greatest capacitypo-ssible with a given sized cabinet: and in order that the projecting ends of the shelves may swing into the cabinet when the display frame is swung around to the position for closing the cabinet, the outer corners of the shelves are cut away on a curved line, as at m.

It will be observed that to open the cabi net to display position, it is simply necessary to draw out the display frame and swing it around to a position to bring the Patented. Dec. 5, 1911. w

shelves at right angles to the face of the cabinet. In that position the full length of all the shelves will be displayed in front of the cabinet, and the articles on any one of the shelves may be readily removed by first springing down the rod j on that shelf. Then swung into display position, the lower-most shelf will rest upon the extension of the lower slide 0 and each of the upper shelves will be supported atits free edge by the rod j below it. A further advantage of extending the lower slide 0' is that it is thus made to afford a broad and substantial support for the sliding frame, this substantial support being especially needed when the shelves are completely loaded with shirts or other articles. It will be observed also that the arrangement is such that there is practically no loss of space in the cabinet, and it will be observed also that the construction of the cabinet is such that it may be readily used as a single cabinet or as a single unit in a series of cabinets, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, so that a dealer can use a single one of these cabinets or a series of them compactly arranged.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A display cabinet, consisting of an open front casing, a sliding frame therein having an upright member adjacent to one of the vertical walls of the casing, and a display frame hinged to said upright member and consisting of a side wall and a front wall and a series of horizontal shelves supported thereon, the shelves extending to a point beyond the hinged connection with the upright member.

2. In a display and storage cabinet, the

combination of a casing open at its front side, a sliding frame therein consisting of a bottom slide and a top slide and a vertical connecting member lying near one of the side walls of the casing, and a display frame hinged to the vertical edge of said upright member and carrying a series of horizontal shelves adapted to enter the cabinet, said shelves being long enough to extend when drawn out to display position across the open front of the casing.

3. In combination with a casing open at its front side, a sliding frame therein, a display frame hinged to said sliding frame and consisting of a series of horizontal shelves supported one above the other, and a series of vertical rods hinged to a lower shelf adapted to detachably engage the next upper shelf, said lower shelf being provided with a groove into which said rod may lie when folded down.

4. In combination with an open front casing, a sliding frame therein embodying an upright member and a sliding plate supported on the bottom of the casing and extending to a point beyond the upright member, and a display frame hinged to said upright member and carrying a series of horizontal shelves extended beyond the upright member and adapted to enter the casing when the sliding frame is pushed back thereinto, the lowermost shelf resting upon the extended end of the aforesaid slide.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JESSE F. PRATHER. WVitnesses CHARLES D. DAVIS, FRANCIS S. MAGUIRE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

